Modulating control device for gasfueled heating systems



01d 29, 1957 A. R. coLLlNs ETAL 2,811,166

MODULATING CONTROL DEVICE FOR GAS-FUELED HEATING SYSTEMS Original Filed July 17, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct 29 1957 A. R. coLLlNs ErAL 2,811,166

MODULATING CONTROL DEVICE FOR GAS-FUELED HEATING SYSTEMS Original Filed July 1'?, 1946` 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 TEE-" @s-Illini w W SII ////////////////////2'* with a valve seat S9 and with a poppet valve 61 located in operative relationship therewith. This poppet valve has a soft seat and is connected to an armature 63 of a solenoid 65. Normally, the puppet valve 61 is urged into closed position by a coil spring 68 so as to close off communication between the chamber S2 and the valve chamber S8.

The two electrical leads 60 of the solenoid are brought out and secured to the insulating terminal posts 48 previously mentioned to which electrical connections may be made from the outside, these two terminal posts passing through the casting 50 where it forms the lower side Wall of the chamber 52. Whenever the solenoid 65 is energized electrically, the armature 63 will be urged downwardly so as to move the poppet 61 away from the valve seat 59, thereby permitting fuel gas to ow from the tting 42 to the valve chamber 58.

The valve chamber 58 comprises a drilled passage through the casting which intersects the port 56. One end of this passage 58 is provided with a valve seat 62 which cooperates with a cone type valve 64 mounted upon a valve stem 66. The valve seat 62 is formed in a bushing 68 passed into the passage 58. Just beyond the bushing 68 a pair of spaced exible diaphragms 70 and 72 are clamped at their edges around an annular ring 74 by means of a sheet metal cover plate 76 and a similar plate 78 having an opening in the center thereof, the plate 78 being secured by means of screws, not shown, to the face of the casting 50 substantially concentrically with the valve stem 66. In order to insure a tight seal, the surface of the casting at the point of securement to the plate 78 is preferably counterbored as at 80 and a soft rubber gasket 82 is interposed between the two surfaces. The annular ring 74 is formedrintegrally with a centrally disposed partition 84 which divides the region between the diaphragms into separate spaces, the space adjacent the diaphragm 70 being indicated by the numeral 86 while the outermost space adjacent the diaphragm '72 is denoted by the numeral 88.

The valve stem on the inlet side is secured to the center of a thin llat spiral spring 90 which is formed by cutting a pair of spiral slots through a thin spring metal disk. The edge of the disk is secured in the bottom of a counterbored opening 92 by a ring 94 held in place by a cover plate 96. The spring applies slight pressure to the end of the valve stem 66 so as to urge the valve 64 toward closed position. This pressure, however, is very slight and the purpose of the spring primarily is to center the valve stem and to cause it to follow the diaphragms rather than to apply any considerable pressure thereto.

The opposite end portion of the valve stem passes through a guide 98 secured to the upper end of the bushing 68 and its end is in engagement with a button 100 secured to the lower surface of the diaphragm 72 so that downward movement of the diaphragm will move the valve 64 toward open position while the soft spring 90 causes the valve to follow the diaphragm when the dian phragm moves in the opposite direction.

At its center the partition 84 has a drilled opening extending therethrough into which is pressed a pair of guides 102 which provide a loose tit for a pin 104. This pin rests with its ends against each of the diaphragms 72 and 70 and holds the diaphragms in spaced relation since, as will be pointed out presently, the tendency of these diaphragms is to move toward each other. In order to prevent the diaphragms from sagging to one side, thereby upsetting the adjustment, the diaphragms at their centers are provided with backing plates 106, the centers of which Yare cut to form tabs which are rolled into flattened oval shape and are drilled in alignment with the pin 104. These tabs, indicated by the numeral 108, act to support the dlaphragms from the pin 104 regardless of the position of the device. i

The high pressure tap 30 communicates through the cover 76 with the space 110 between the cover and the 4 diaphragm 72. The space 88 on the opposite side of this diaphragm communicates by way of a passage 112 formed in the edge portion of the annular ring 74 with the fitting 32, this fitting being connected, as has previously been mentioned, with the low'pressure point of the combustion air venturi 36. The space 86 between the partition 84 and the other diaphragm 70 is connected by way of the fitting 38 to the plenum chamber at the burner. The remaining space, indicated by the numeral 114, on the opposite side of diaphragm 70 is ofcourse sensitive to the pressure of the fuel on the outlet side of the'valve 64. This chamber is connected by way of a passage 116 to the fitting 44 connected to the gas pipe 46 leading to the burner. Y f

The fuel pressure regulator operates in the following manner. Whenever the electrical circuit to the terminals 48 is energized, the poppet valve 61 will be opened by the solenoid 65, thereby permitting gas to flow to the modulating valve 64. lf, now, it is assumed that the combustion air blower is operating and that the pressure in chamber 88 is lower than it is in chamber 110 since combustion air flowing through the ductwork will cause a lower pressure at the venturi 36 than at the high pressure tap 34, it will be seen that the pressure diierential will tend to cause the diaphragm 72 to move toward the right. As soon as it moves slightly, the valve 64 will be opened and gas will flow into the chamber 114 and thence to the burner by way of the passage 116. Inasmuch as the pressure in the chamber 86 is at the level of the burner, or, in other words, substantially at atmospheric, the pressure of the gas will build up until the difference in pressure between the gas and the combustion air at the burner, this pressure diterential tending to move the diaphragm 70 toward the left, balances the forces acting on the diaphragm 72. The burner, therefore, continues to receive fuel at the raterestablished by this balance. If, now, the combustion air blower is increased in speed so Yas to increase the dilerential tending to move the diaphragm 72 toward the right so` as to open the valve, it will be seen that immediately the gas pressure in the space 11'4 will rise until a new balance is found, after which the burner c ontinues to operate at a higher output since it is receiving both more combustion air and more fuel. Thus, by the expedient of simply controlling` the speed of rotation of the combustion air blower, the heat output canbe fixed at any desired level within the range of operation of the heater and under all such conditions the fuel air ratio will remain substantially constant, thereby insuring eflcient combustion. Y

In Figs. l and 2 it may be noticed that the three pressure taps 32, 30 and 38 are radially separated so as to facilitate making connections to these taps. In Fig. 3, oneof these taps 30 has arbitrarily been moved into radialY alignment with the tap 32 so as to be in the plane of the section for the purpose of illustration, since it is believed that by so doing the construction and mode of operation will be made more clear. The pressure tap 38, however, has been permitted to remain in its actual location since the passages in the annular ring 74 for making connection Ybetween this tap and the space 86 are the reverse complement of those shown for connecting the tap 32 with the space 88.

Although for purpose of illustration a particular heater has been shown, it will be appreciated that the essentials of this modulating system are the controller, the gas supply under pressure, a variable source of combustion air, a burner to be operated and the duct with the Venturi or equivalent therein to conduct the combination air to the burner from the source and to actuate the controller.

Having described our invention in connection with one embodiment thereof, what we claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States l. In a fuel gas supply conduitv through which fuel gas flows under pressure to be mixed forburning with combustion air flowing at variable rates through a duct having means providing a pair of pressure taps such that the pressure differential between the taps is a function of the rate of flow of air through the duct, a fuel gas control valve comprising a modulating valve including means forming a valve seat and a valve member, means providing connections to cause said modulating valve to control flow through the conduit, rst and second parallel diaphragms for operating said modulating valve, means including a partition between said diaphragms and forming therewith a space at either side of said partition, means forming chambers around the outer sides of said diaphragms, means forming a connection to the space on the partition side of said lirst diaphragm to subject said space to substantially atmospheric pressure, means forming a connection to the chamber on the outer side of said first diaphragm to subject the last said chamber to the gas pressure at the outlet of said modulating valve, means forming a connection to the space on the partition side of said second diaphragm for connecting the last said space to the lower of the pressure taps, means forming a connection to the chamber on the outer side of said second diaphragm for subjecting the last said chamber to the pressure prevailing at the higher of the pressure taps, a full floating pin in axial alignment with both diaphragms and located therebetween, means on said diaphragms to engage said pin to prevent substantial transverse movement of said diaphragms with respect to said pin, guide means for said pin arranged to permit longitudinal movement thereof but to prevent lateral movement thereof, said guide means being located in said partition between said diaphragms, said valve member having a valve stem, guide means for said valve stem to support said stem for longitudinal movement so that one end thereof may be brought into engagement with the outer side of one of said diaphragms, and soft acting resilient means urging said valve stern into engagement with said last mentioned diaphragm so that said valve member will follow movement of said last mentioned diaphragm.

2. In a fuel gas supply conduit through which fuel gas ows under pressure to be mixed for burning with combustion air flowing at varying rates through a duct having means providing a pair of pressure taps such that the pressure differential between the taps is a function of the rate of ow of air through the duct, a fuel gas CII control valve comprising a modulating valve including means forming a valve seat and a valve member, means providing connections to cause said modulating valve to control i'low through the conduit, first and second parallel diaphragms for operating said modulating valve, means including a partition between said diaphragms and forming therewith a space at either side of said partition, means forming chambers around the outer sides of said ydiaphragms, means for subjecting the space on the partition side of said first diaphragm to substantially atmospheric pressure, means forming a connection to the chamber on the outer side of said iirst diaphragm to subject the last said chamber to the gas pressure at the outlet of said modulating valve, means forming a connection to the space on the f partition side of said second diaphragm for connecting the last said space to the lower of the pressure taps, means forming a connection to the chamber on the outer side of said second diaphragm for subjecting the last said chamber' to the pressure prevailing at the higher of the pressure taps, a full iioating pin in axial alignment with both diaphragms and located therebetween, means on said diaphragms to engage said pin to prevent substantial transverse movement of said diaphragms with respect to said pin, guide means for said pin arranged to permit longitudinal movement thereof but to prevent lateral movement thereof, said guide means being located in said partition between said diaphragms, said valve member having a valve stem, and guide means for said valve stem to support said stem for longitudinal movement so that one end thereof may be brought into contact with the outer side of the first of said diaphragms, said guide means including a soft acting resilient means adapted for urging said valve stem into engagement with the first said diau phragm so that said valve member will follow movement of the first said diaphragm.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,174,003 Gibson Feb. 29, 1916 1,363,513 Keith Dec. 28, 1920 2,311,061 Lutherer Feb. 16, 1943 2,393,841 Titcornb Jan. 29, 1946 2,418,163 Chase Apr. 1, 1947 2,641,237 Deschamps June 9, 1953 

